Connectors and connector arrangement are commonly used to electrically connect two devices with each other. One type of connectors are audio connectors which are for example used to connect headphones or loudspeakers to audio equipment, for example portable or non-portable audio equipment, cell phones, personal computers, and the like. Commonly used audio connectors include 6.35 mm, 3.5 mm or 2.5 mm audio connectors. The male form of such audio connectors usually comprise a generally elongate member with different areas of the circumferential surface being electrically insulated from each other to provide a plurality of contacts. Conventional arrangements of such contacts are referred to as TS (Tip Sleeve), TRS (Tip Ring Sleeve) or TRRS (Tip Ring Ring Sleeve) connectors, indicated that a tip contact is insulated from a sleeve contact which is generally adjacent to the head, with no, one or two so-called ring contacts in between. For example, a TS connector may be used for mono audio, a TRS connector may be used for stereo audio and a TRRS connector may be used for stereo audio with an additional signal, for example a video signal.
Corresponding female connectors to the above-described male audio connectors may have an elongate hole with contact elements arranged therein corresponding to the positions of the insulated areas mentioned above.
These audio connectors have a basically standardized shape, such that for example headphones manufactured by one manufacturer may be used with portable audio equipment like a MP3 player from another manufacturer.
Besides female audio connectors, many audio devices have further connectors for further purposes, for example an antenna connector, a power connector, a data connector and the like. Such a plurality of connectors sometimes makes it difficult for a user to use the device since each device, cable or the like has to be plugged into the right connector. In case a device like loudspeakers or headphones are provided with additional functions, such a device may have more than one connector, for example to receive audio signals and power from the audio device, which makes connecting the device with the audio device somewhat inconvenient.
Therefore, there is a general need for improved connector arrangements offering more flexibility.